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Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Alex Kingston gets seal of approval from Strictly Come Dancing pro - 'Extremely cool'
Strictly Come Dancing has announced six celebrities who will be hitting the ballroom later this year, but one in particular has excited professional dancer Dianne Buswell Strictly Come Dancing's Dianne Buswel l has branded a 2025 contestant 'extremely cool' as Doctor Who enthusiasts were left 'screaming' following a major announcement. With mere weeks remaining before the annual BBC programme kicks off, the initial quartet of celebrities were unveiled on Monday (August 11). The opening reveal caught supporters off guard as Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was disclosed during an instalment of children's news show Newsround. Known as Nitro, Harry is most famous for taking part in the Bradley and Barney Walsh edition of Gladiators. Additionally, Harry is a multiple gold medal-winning Team GB sprinter, who became the first competitor to secure gold medals in both 100 and 200 metres at the World Youth Championships. "After the Christmas Special, it was so nice I just had to do it twice! I'm so excited to be part of the Strictly family this series and I'm ready to give it all I've got. I'll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor. Let's hope I'm as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track," he said. Later during the evening, Strictly enthusiasts were urged to watch The One Show as three additional contestants were being revealed by Roman Kemp and Alex Scott. The opening member of the trio disclosed was Love Island champion Dani Dyer, with the daughter of EastEnders icon Danny Dyer wed to Jarrod Bowen. On joining Strictly Come Dancing, Dani said: "Getting the opportunity to be on Strictly is the second most amazing thing I've done this year! I feel very very blessed and cannot wait to get my dancing shoes on." The third and final celebrity revealed on the magazine programme was Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, a former footballer who represented Leeds United, Atlético Madrid and Chelsea during his playing career. Following his retirement, Jimmy has established himself as a recognisable figure in football commentary for leading UK sports broadcasters, taken charge of clubs including Burton Albion and Northampton Town and worked as an assistant coach with the England national squad. "Swapping the pitch for the ballroom is certainly not something I've done before but I'm looking forward to tackling a fun challenge! Bring on a new type of footwork, with hopefully no own goals," he joked. Nevertheless, it was the reveal of Doctor Who icon Alex Kingston that seems to have generated the greatest buzz across social media platforms. Following her rise to fame on the medical drama ER as Dr Elizabeth Corday, Alex went on to portray one of the legendary sci-fi programme's most beloved characters. Featured on Doctor Who from 2008 to 2015, Alex brought River Song, aka The Doctor's Wife, to life alongside three different Doctors on television and remains active in audio adventures and literary works. Alex has also appeared in Douglas Is Cancelled, Treason, Gilmore Girls, Boudica, Lost in Austen, Dodger, A Discovery of Witches, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and Arrow. Her impressive theatre credits include portraying Lady Macbeth and Nurse Ratchet in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. On the official Strictly Instagram page, Dianne, who claimed the Glitterball Trophy with blind comedian Chris McCausland last year, captured everyone's sentiments. She posted: "Extremely cool love this!" To which Alex, who is presently in Italy, responded: "So excited to get dancing!". Adding to the praise was Motsi Mabuse, who penned: "Welcome to the Strictly family, Alex! Can't wait to see your personality shine on that dance floor, here's to sparkle, rhythm, and unforgettable moments! Woop Woop." Countless Doctor Who enthusiasts couldn't hide their delight as they anticipate discovering whether Alex excels at dancing as much as she does at fighting aliens. @bobby_seagull declared: "Was such a big fan of hers on Doctor Who!" @mommagledders shared: "I love her so much! She would be great with Johannes!". @stephlhulme penned: "Ahhh! I am a big Whovian and this announcement has made my day." @richardfrankscomedy noted: "Such a cool signing." @giselle_barajas1234 exclaimed: "DOCTOR WHO FANS ARE SCREAMING. YES ALEX." @calum_creates suggested: "I know it's been done before, but please can Alex dance to the Doctor Who theme!"
Wales Online
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Strictly's Amy Dowden says 'certainly felt it' after hitting big milestone during rehearsals
Strictly's Amy Dowden says 'certainly felt it' after hitting big milestone during rehearsals Amy Dowden was joined by her fellow Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers for the memorable milestone Amy Dowden shared a video from her special day, which showed Nikita Kuzmin bringing over a pink birthday cake with candles on it to her (Image: Karwai Tang, WireImagevia Getty Images) Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has issued a heartfelt message after celebrating her birthday. The Caerphilly professional dancer took to Instagram to share her thanks to her fans for wishing her a happy birthday. And it seemed to have been a memorable one for the ballroom dancer, as her Instagram showed her celebrating the milestone with her fellow professional dancers from the BBC dance show. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . Amy shared a video from her special day, her 35th birthday, which showed Nikita Kuzmin bringing over a pink birthday cake with candles on it to her. The rest of the cast, which included Dianne Buswell and Lauren Oakley, were seen cheering and clapping as she blew out the candles. "Thanks for all the birthday love," Amy wrote in the caption. "Certainly felt it! Means so very much to all who reached out! Thank you". The celebrations come as Amy and the rest of her cast mates are gearing up for another series of Strictly Come Dancing. The first celebrity contestant was announced as Gladiators' Harry Aikines-Aryeetey during a prank on CBBC's Newsround on Monday morning, August 11. Later that day, on The One Show, three additional celebrity contestants were confirmed for the 2025 series - media personality Dani Dyer, actress Alex Kingston, and former professional footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden has issued a heartfelt message after celebrating her birthday (Image: Amy Dowden / Instagram) And then on Tuesday morning, August 12, it was confirmed that Eastenders' star Balvinder Sopal would also join the celebrity cast. Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn, with the remaining celebrity contestants that will be joining the new series announced in due course. Meanwhile, Amy Dowden will be making a triumphant return to the competition show. Last year, the professional dancer was coupled up with JB Gill after returning to the show following her cancer treatment. Article continues below However, Amy had to pull out from the competition after sustaining an injury and was replaced by fellow professional dancer Lauren Oakley. Luckily, Amy recovered and started 2025 with a dance tour around the UK titled Reborn alongside professional dancer and close friend, Carlos Gu, who will also be joining the Strictly series this year.
Wales Online
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Strictly Come Dancing 2025 first pairing 'revealed' as star drops cryptic clue
Strictly Come Dancing 2025 first pairing 'revealed' as star drops cryptic clue BBC Strictly Come Dancing has been dropping the names of the first contestants for 2025 and eagle-eyed fans may have seen one of the pairings has already been 'revealed' Comedian Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell proved to be the perfect 2024 pairing when they won (Image: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire ) BBC hit Strictly Come Dancing has already confirmed the first few contestants who will be taking part in the 2025 series but it will be a while yet until they are officially unveiled alongside their professional dance partners. However, eagle-eyed fans may have already been given the biggest clue yet about one of the pairings after a post was shared by Strictly's official Instagram account. Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, a contestant on the 2024 Christmas special, was confirmed as the first celebrity taking part in the new series of Strictly during an announcement on Monday, August 11. The surprise announcement saw him prank CBBC Newsround viewers when he appeared live in the Newsround studio disguised as 'world-famous choreographer Nicky Trott', there to talk about his recent work on a scientific study into the benefits of dancing every day. His disguise was not enough to fool Newsround presenter Jenny Lawrence though, who quickly rumbled who she was really talking to. Harry then gave the real reason he was there: to tell the world he's taking part in the new series. Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey has signed up for Strictly Come Dancing Following the revelation, the BBC Strictly official Instagram account also shared news in a post that featured his photo and the caption: "#STRICTLY... ARE YOU READY?! Gladiator Nitro is our first celebrity reveal! @aikines is back in the Ballroom for 2025." Many of the professional dancers shared their joy with Nancy Xu penning: "Yessssss he is hereeee," while Gorka Marquez said: "YES BRO!!" and last year's pro winner Dianne Buswell, who lifted the trohpy with comedian Chris McCausland, added: "Amazing." Meanwhile, Karen Hauer posted four flame emoji's which prompted a response from a fan who said: "yes Karen I hope you get someone really good this year plz strictly (two flame emojis) bet he will be good. X" This led Harry to reply with a laughing emoji and an eyeball emoji, which is usually used to draw attention to something and could be a sign that Harry is partnered with Karen, who last year danced with former England footballer Paul Merson. Karen Hauer with Paul Merson during last year's series (Image: BBC) Following the announcement about Harry, three more contestants were announced back-to-back on Monday's edition of The One Show, which was hosted by Alex Scott and Roman Kemp. The first to be announced was Love Island winner Dani Dyer, who admitted it had been "so hard" to keep it all a big secret. Talking of her family's reaction to her taking part, including dad EastEnders legend Danny Dyer, Dani said: "They're so excited, it's such a fun, magical show and to be asked to do it is such an honour." The mum-of-three, who recently married footballer Jarrod Bowen, added she was "worried" about picking up the routines and is "petrified" of being on live television. Dani Dyer was announced during The One Show (Image: BBC) The next contestant revealed to be joining Strictly was Doctor Who star Alex Kingston, who confessed she was "super excited" but is now "terrified". The Grange Hill actress - appearing on a live video link from her holiday in Italy - recalled once telling former Strictly finalist Sarah Hadland how "desperate" she was to be in Strictly, who told her "it changed her life and she would do it again in a heartbeat". Article continues below And finally, footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was confirmed as the third. The father of four daughters said Strictly was part of his "home life" and he was ready to "have a go". Strictly Come Dancing will return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this September.
Wales Online
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Strictly Come Dancing 2025 line-up latest as three more celebrities named
Strictly Come Dancing 2025 line-up latest as three more celebrities named Three celebrities have been named as part of Strictly Come Dancing's 2025 line-up Strictly Come Dancing has unveiled three more celebrities set to compete in its upcoming 2025 season. The three new names join Olympian and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey who was confirmed on CBBC's Newsround. He will be joined by Dani Dyer, Alex Kingston, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who were announced live on The One Show, on Monday August 11. First introduced was Dani Dyer, daughter of actor Danny Dyer who has starred in multiple films as well as as the Queen Vic's landlord on EastEnders. Dani herself is a TV personality, author, broadcaster, and mother of three. Her eclectic resume includes fronting documentaries such as Is This Anxiety?, co-hosting the podcast Live and Let Dyers with her father Danny, and appearing in travel series Absolutely Dyer: Danny and Dani Do Italy. Dani has also made guest appearances on EastEnders and Celebrity Gogglebox. Dani Dyer is the second celebrity confirmed for Strictly's newest season (Image: BBC) Dani first rose to prominence after winning Love Island in 2018 and has since gathered more than three million social media followers. She is also a published author with her debut book What Would Dani Do? making the Sunday Times bestseller list. In May she married West Ham footballer Jarrod Bowen. Speaking about joining Strictly Dani admitted it was "so hard" keeping the news from friends and family, revealing she's not a very good liar. Her parents are reportedly very excited for her. Reflecting on the experience Dani described the show as "such a fun and magical" opportunity and said being asked to participate is "an honour". She said: "Getting the opportunity to be on Strictly is the second-most amazing thing I've done this year. I feel very, very blessed and cannot wait to get my dancing shoes on " When asked if practising with her husband Jarrod was a way of preparing for the show Dani laughed, saying that while they did practice a few days before it certainly wasn't a proper routine. "I wanted a Dirty Dancing routine but that's not Jarrod," she joked. Dani admitted that learning the routine is one of her biggest causes of nerves but she's looking forward to the costumes, which she says "just make you feel like a princess". Doctor Who and ER star Alex Kingston was the next celebrity confirmed. Alex has enjoyed a career spanning more than four decades, gaining international recognition for her role as Dr Elizabeth Corday on ER, where she starred for eight years and won a Screen Actors Guild Award. Alex Kingston is getting ready to put her dancing shoes on (Image: BBC) However many will also recognise her as the iconic River Song, aka The Doctor's Wife, a role she has played alongside three different Doctors on screen, as well as in audio adventures and novels. Her extensive television work includes a Bafta-nominated performance in Moll Flanders, as well as roles in Douglas Is Cancelled, Treason, Gilmore Girls, Boudica, Lost in Austen, Dodger, A Discovery of Witches, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Arrow. On stage Alex's range includes Lady Macbeth, Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Prospero for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and many more. Speaking from a "secret location" in Italy while chatting with hosts Roman Kemp and Alex Scott Alex confessed she has long wanted to take part in Strictly. She revealed that seeing her friend and former colleague Sarah Hadland compete last year and "go all the way" inspired her to give it a try. Alex asked Sarah about her experience and was told honestly how challenging and overwhelming the competition can be but also how "lifechanging" it is. "I'm in my 60s so why not just go for it?" Alex said. Both Dani and Alex have planned to meet soon as they prepare for the show. Alex joked about her dance experience, saying 'my hips don't lie' and added: 'I am going to start practising in the kitchen". Joining them as the fourth celebrity is former professional footballer and manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Jimmy is best known for his prolific goal-scoring career in the Premier League and across Europe, having played for clubs including Leeds United, Atlético Madrid, and Chelsea. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is swapping the football pitch for the dancefloor (Image: BBC) Since retiring from football Jimmy has become a familiar face in punditry for major UK sports networks, managed clubs like Burton Albion and Northampton Town, and served as assistant coach for the England national team. Jimmy said of joining Strictly: "Swapping the pitch for the ballroom is certainly not something I've done before but I'm looking forward to tackling a fun challenge. Bring on a new type of footwork with hopefully no own goals." During his interview Jimmy joked about his participation as Alex expressed her utter shock. "A few years ago I'd have said the same," he said referencing Alex's time on the show. As a father of girls Jimmy shared that Strictly is part of their home life and said he was a fan of the show himself so he decided to give it a go. He admitted he has "a little bit of rhythm" but isn't sure what to expect, adding that he thinks a slower dance like the waltz might be his favourite. When Alex pointed out that the furthest a footballer has made it on Strictly is the quarter-finals Jimmy said that fuels his determination. "I am going to do my best – otherwise I'm going to have some serious stick at home." He joked it will be difficult to get England manager Gareth Southgate to watch the show but said dancing with a professional partner who knows the moves "10 times, 100 times better than you" is a real challenge – even more than playing in front of 60,000 or 70,000 football fans. The latest additions has been met with delight by fans as one commented: "It's just been confirmed that Alex Kingston is doing strictly come dancing and I apologise in advance because it's all I'm going to talk about for the next few months". Another added: "I think Danni Dyer is guna be awesome on strictly come dancing". A third fan said: "Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink going on Strictly Come Dancing! Just as well it wasn't Dancing on Ice!" In a surprise announcement earlier on Monday Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was confirmed as the first celebrity to participate in the show. Better known as Nitro to Gladiators fans, Harry is a multi-gold medal-winning Team GB sprinter. He became the first athlete to win gold in both the 100m and 200m at the World Youth Championships, won BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2005, and has since claimed gold in the 4x100m relay at both the European Championships and Commonwealth Games. Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was the first celebrity announced for this year's season of Strictly Come Dancing He has also competed in two Olympic Games, is a three-time European Champion, and a two-time Commonwealth Champion. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . Harry is no stranger to the dancefloor as many fans may recognise him from last year's Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special. The Olympian delivered a high-energy street commercial routine to Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses, earning 38 out of 40 points from the judges alongside professional partner Nancy Xu. Speaking about joining Strictly Come Dancing, Harry said: "After the Christmas special it was so nice I just had to do it twice. Article continues below "I'm so excited to be part of the Strictly family this series and I'm ready to give it all I've got. I'll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dancefloor. Let's hope I'm as quick picking up the routines as I am on the track." The 2025 season of Strictly Come Dancing is set to return this autumn on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Strictly Come Dancing 2025: Which celebrities are taking part in the new series?
Calling all Strictly fans - it's time to dust off your dancing shoes and get those score paddles ready, because it's nearly time for the new series!The programme will return to our screens this September with a new batch of celebrities, all hoping to get their hands on the famous glitterball trophy. Last year, Chris McCausland made history as the first blind contestant to win the who's taking part this year? Keep reading to find are you most looking forward to seeing take to the dancefloor? Who's your favourite? Let us know in the comments below! First Strictly celeb: Nitro from Gladiators Strictly Come You. Ready??Gladiator Nitro a.k.a. Harry Aikines-Aryeetey is the first celebrity contestant officially confirmed for this year's made the announcement live on in true Nitro style, as the star of Gladiators: Epic Pranks, he tried to trick presenter Jenny and Newsround appeared in the studio disguised as "world-famous dancer Nicky Trott", but it wasn't enough to fool Jenny, who quickly rumbled who she was really talking to. Harry then gave the real reason he was on the Newsround sofa - to tell the world he's taking part in the new series!It's not the first time that Nitro will appear on TV's most famous year he took part in Strictly's Christmas Special where he was partnered with Nancy Xu, and it was an experience that he really explained: "After the Christmas Special, it was so nice I just had to do it twice!"I'm so excited to be part of the Strictly family this series and I'm ready to give it all I've got. I'll be bringing tons of energy to light up the dance floor," he added.
